CPP_Global_Human_Capital_Report_Workplace_Conflict

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Do you ever have to deal with conflict in the workplace?
Yes, always 8%
Yes, frequently 21%
Yes, occasionally 56%
No, never 14%
Don’t know 1%
CPP GLOBAL HUMAN CAPITAL REPORT
Three in ten (29%) say they have to deal with conflict “always” or “frequently.” Only one in seven employees (14%) say
that they never have to deal with disagreements.
Certain groups have to handle conflict more often than others. A third (34%) of men under the age of 50 are always or
frequently dealing with disagreements, compared with a quarter (23%) of older men.
The three sectors where frequent conflict is most common are charity/not-for-profit (48%), catering (43%), and human
resources (43%). Possibly the most surprising thing about these statistics is that HR, where professionals would
expect to be called in during conflict situations, isn’t at the top.
From the international perspective, Germany heads the conflict league. Over half of its employees (56%) face workplace
disagreements always or frequently, with a quarter falling into the “always” category. The other countries to score
higher than average when it comes to frequent or perpetual conflicts are Ireland with 37% and the US with 36%.
Where does conflict occur? To gauge the most common flashpoints, we asked respondents at what level of the organization
they observe the most conflict. Top of the list is conflict between employees in entry-level/ front-line roles,
cited by a third (34%) of respondents. These employees are likely to have spent the least time at the organization and
are therefore the least likely to have learned how best to manage these situations.
The second most commonly mentioned conflict zone is between line managers and their reports, cited as number one
by a quarter (24%) of employees. This underlines the key role that line managers have to play in managing conflict
successfully. This is particularly the case in Ireland, where conflict between line managers and reports is actually the
most observed form of workplace clash. Almost four in ten Irish employees (37%) see this as the most widespread
form of conflict.
Although only 6% of employees see most conflict taking place between senior executives and leaders (which may in
part be due to their disagreements taking place behind closed doors), conflict at the senior level is found in many organizations
and can have a significant cultural impact.